Saturday, February 01, 2014

2014 book 27

Jennifer Vanderbes' The Secret of Raven Point
It's 1941, and when a chem nerd's beloved older brother enlists and then is reported missing, she fudges her age and goes off to be a nurse on the front lines in Italy, hoping to find out what happened to him. But this isn't a mystery, and it's not the dramatic thriller that the title might suggest. Instead, it's a really lovely and vivid story of a young nurse at wartime, the camaraderie and the horrors--and especially the horror of the army wanting to execute a man who tried to kill himself. Their efforts to rehabilitate and rescue him are a large part of the story--and are very well-done. I also really liked the way this resolved--Vanderbes really captures the realities of war and its aftermath. A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on Tuesday